Little Run In
by aero13
Summary: Can a little girl change the course of history? Make a stoic Uchiha rediscover feelings? This little run in just might.
1. Chapter 1

_me: hello! this is just a random thing i might turn into a story!_

_Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto~! the only thing i own is the idea... I think.  
_

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The thirteen year old weasel sighed. He just came back from a ANBU mission and was relaxing in his secret training ground. No one would look for him this far from Konoha, close to the boarders of the Land of Fire. Itachi started to doze off, unaware of anything for just a few minutes.

"Whoa!" A little voice said, piercing the air. Sharingan whirled as he stood, crouching in a defensive stance. He looked left, right, behind, and below, nothing. Air whooshed by as a small body landed on Itachi's. Their lips touched briefly, electric sparks traveled down spines.

The girl sat up in a sitting position, unknowingly straddling the prodigy. "Sorry mister! I was practicing climbing that tree with chakra when I ran out."

Itachi sat up slowly, shifting the girl so it was easier to move. "Why are you working on chakra control, you look like my brother's, Sasuke, age." He said in an uncaring voice. She made a face as he mentioned Sasuke's name.

"You're an Uchiha too?" Itachi nodded. "So you must be Itachi then, Sasuke talks about you a lot! Oh, I'm trying to be the best at chakra control because mommy said that was the base of all ninjutsu and genjutsu!" She looked up at the Uchiha, hoping to get something out of him.

He watched her, trying to decide if he should leave now or stay and talk more. Itachi felt calmer then he ever felt in ages. He let out an inaudible sigh and stood, moving so he could rest his back against a tree, before placing Sakura to his right.

"What is your name then?" He asked, staring out to the clouds.

"Haruno Sakura!" The pinkette exclaimed. Itachi looked at the properly named girl. He knew of the Haruno clan. They were one of the backbones of the hospital, when Tsunade wasn't around that is. They preferred piece, but when angered they would kill the unlucky soul that ticked them off. The perfect control the clan had over chakra was thought of a Kekkei Genkai. The thing that gave them away as part of the clan though, was the pink hair they inherited.

"I see." He said quietly. They watched the wisps of clouds float by. Content with each other and just sitting. The sun dipped lower in the sky and Sakura started to yawn. Onyx eyes trained on emerald, a silent conversation passing.

"Climb on." He said, turning his back to her. Sakura squealed and quickly scrambled on, twig like arms wrapping around his neck, legs locking by his waist. He stood and took off by tree tops, his passenger burying her head in his back.

"Today was nice." Sakura said, barely heard by Itachi over the wind. The weasel made a noise in the back of his throat, confirming her statement true. "Can we do this again tomorrow?"

Itachi sighed as he jumped down from the branches soundlessly. "I don't see why not. I'll come pick you up an hour after the academy lets out then." Sakura cheered and hugged his neck harder, almost chocking him.

"Sorry for that." She said loosening her hold on him. "I live in the big house in the middle..." Sakura trailed off, tired from her long day. Her soft snores the only noise besides his sandal clad feet on the ground.

He reached the Haruno district easily enough. The guards waved him passed when they saw the mop of pink hair on his back. Finding the house was easy as well, seeing as the road led right to it. He knocked and shuffling was heard.

The door opened and an petite woman stepped out. "Oh dear! Please come in Uchiha-san!" She said stepping aside to let him in. Itachi nodded and followed her to a room. "If you'll just put her in her bed, I will make you some tea and onigiri." She left without his answer, leaving Itachi to do as asked.

He walked in and glanced around quickly. The walls were surprisingly a light blue while the floor was wooden. Carefully placing her on her bed, he pulled the covers up to her shoulders. The pinkette sighed happily and rolled over.

Itachi walked out quietly and made his way to were he felt the woman's chakra. The older pinkette was busy fussing about with the snack she promised. He slid into a chair and waited.

"And there you go Uchiha-san." She said placing both things down. "I almost forgot, my name is Haruno Kiku. My husband, Tadao, is on a mission right now." She sighed and sat across from him. The weasel munched on the onigiri, listening to the woman talk.

Kiku glanced out the window. "Oh my! You best get home Itachi, your mother is probably worried sick!" She rushed around for paper and a pen. Scribbling something down she gave it to the boy and pushed him out the door. "Just bring her home before dark!" She called out before disappearing back into the house.

The Uchiha shrugged and went on his way. Flashes of pink and emerald kept invading his thoughts. Soon he found himself in the Uchiha compound, at his house. Slipping inside, he tugged the sandals and moved to the living room.

"Itachi, is that you?" His mother called out softly. He grunted and handed her the note the older Haruno gave him. She read it over quickly. "That's fine. Just next time get home before earlier, your brother was wondering where you were." His eyes softened a bit as she kissed his forhead.

"Good night mother." Itachi called over his shoulder. The female Uchiha smiled and went back to reading her book.

"Good night Itachi." She whispered to his back.

He was ready for bed, but his mind wouldn't let him sleep. The short time he spent with the Haruno girl was stuck on replay in his head. Her lips brushing against his, the little spark. Everything about her was in him, bringing up emotions he thought he got rid of.

_'This is going to be difficult.' _The prodigy thought before rolling over. Sleep just out of his grasp. Finally, hours after the sun went down, the weasel fell asleep, thoughts of the green eyed cherry blossom on his mind.

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_me:so thats it! tell me what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

_me-hi viewers! thank you for all of the reviews and everything! it makes me happy!_

_Itachi-hn..._

_me-translated, She does not own Naruto related things._

_Itachi-...hn..._

_me-translated, Heather, you better run... or else... ^.^... O.o' bye love you all! *runs away*_

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_Hokage Tower; Meeting Room_

"Do you understand your mission Itachi?" The wrinkled Hokage said. A puff of smoke followed his words. Itachi nodded, kneeling on the floor with head bowed. The old man sighed and stood slowly.

"I understand Hokage-sama." Itachi said. Cloth swirled in the corners of his eyes.

"Good. After this mission, I have another one... one much more dangerous then this." The weasel stiffened slightly, his current task boarders on the far side of an S-ranked. If it was harder, he didn't know if he would come back alive.

"I see Hokage-sama." Itachi stood, head still bowed. "I will take my leave now." With that he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"I'm sorry Itachi..." The Hokage said, face shadowed by his hat. "This is a fate I would not wish on any one, even my enemies."

(line)

_Academy Classroom_

Iruka glanced at his charges. They worked hard to prove their worth. A snore disrupted the quiet testing atmosphere. He sweatdroped and shook his head. Well, most of them did anyways.

"Done Iruka-sensei!" The only pink haired girl said. He took her paper, smiling as she went back to her seat. Taking out a pen he began to check over her answers.

'Answer one, correct.' He thought. Skimming over the rest he inwardly smiled. 'She's one smart kid. She scores the highest on tests, only rivaled by Itachi when he was a student.'

With her test finished Sakura thought of the things they could do today. 'They' being Itachi and herself. She heard many things from Sasuke. She knew she was lacking in the psychical aspects of being a ninja. She daydreamed as more students handed in their tests.

"Alright! Time's up, if you didn't hand in your test, please hand them in now. Everyone is free to go." Iruka watched as ciaos exploded. Papers were thrown on his desk, bodies filed out the door. The slower ones waiting until the crowd settled then left.

Sakura searched for the unique hair belonging only to a Haruno. Seeing none she frowned before walking around the school grounds. Letting her feet take her away from the school and into the forest.

(line)

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the scratch. He retrieved the scroll with no problems. Just that guard managed to get a scratch on him. He thought nothing of it as he dressed it. It would heal sooner or later.

He appeared in the Tower. "I have the scroll Hokage-sama." Itachi said as he raised from his kneeling position. His hand slipped into a pocket and pulled out the scroll.

"Ah! Thank you." The old man said, taking the item and placing it in a special drawer.

"You said you have another mission for me?" Itachi questioned. The older man's face turned to stone.

"Yes. You may come in now!" The door rolled opened. Itachi turned half way and bowed to the elders and Danzo. Danzo flipped through a few hand seals, making a jutsu to ward off unwanted listeners.

"Uchiha Itachi, you are to kill your clan." He stopped to let the words seep in. "We will summon you the night before."

"You are to act normal, so as to not raise suspicion." Koharu said. The Uchiha never moved from his bow.

"You will then leave the village and join the Akatsuki." Homuro finished up. Itachi watched as feet moved from his field of vision.

'Why?' He thought. 'Why should my clan die?'

(line)

Sakura squealed in glee as she came up on her favorite tree. This certain tree always had at least one flower on it. No matter the season, one would brave the weather. She danced over to it and put down her backpack at the base. Some of the petals were falling, creating a thin blanket before the wind would blow them away.

The pinkette sat down and pulled out a book, resting her back on the tree trunk. Sakura knew her mother or someone would fine her sooner or later. Right now, she had to finish the book she found laying on the road. She giggled, a light blush on her cheeks, and opened the bright orange cover.

She flipped the worn pages, some dog-eared in the previous owner's most read pages. She heard of a book with this title talked about among adults. She knew she shouldn't be reading it but, she wanted to learn, and reading was the only way she would be able to learn.

Sakura couldn't understand some of the things mentioned, she left her imagination for those parts. She thought the book was well written, though confusing. She liked how the boy got the girl in the end. Yes, this wasn't her first time skipping ahead to that part.

Itachi watched as Sakura flipped a page and her blush darkened. He read the title and growled, thinking of a certain silver haired male.

(line)

Kakashi sneezed else where. He looked around and shivered.

"Odd. I must be getting a cold." He said out loud. Never mind that it was summer. He shrugged and flipped to the page Sakura was on. The silver haired jonin chuckled and a small nose bleed appeared.

(line)

Itachi let off killing intent and rose out of the bushes. Sakura gasped and with a flurry, shoved the book back in her backpack. The weasel stalked up to her and picked up her bag. He rummaged in it, pulling out the offending object.

He held it up and glared at it. "Little girls like you are not supposed to read thing like this." Sakura looked longingly at the book before looking into the eyes of Itachi. She stiffened but nodded. He pocketed the book and shouldered her bag.

"Are you taking me home?" She asked. He shook his head no and walked away. Sakura scrambled to his side, taking big steps to keep up.

"We are going to train." Itachi said quietly. Sakura watched as he grabbed her hand and made a hand seal with the other.

In two seconds they stood in the middle of a busy street. Itachi saw a flash of silver and snarled. Kakashi looked up and paled. It was never a good sign to see _the _Uchiha Itachi glaring at you with Sharingan eyes activated.

"Perfect timing Kakashi." Itachi said harshly. Kakashi shivered. "I was just going to train Sakura a little chakra control, but I guess that can wait." If he could be paler, Kakashi would have looked like snow. "Now, I think I remember you complaining about a missing book?"

Kakashi nodded. The dog-summoner did not like were this was going.

"I know who found it." He put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. She smiled up to him. Itachi looked down and smirked. "How does target practice sound Sakura?" Sakura smirked and looked at the sweating male.

"That sound like fun." She frowned. "But I can't aim very well." Itachi glanced at their target.

"That's why it's called target practice." He jumped at Kakashi. The dog-summoner backed up and ran the other way. Itachi snarled and ran after him, crimson eyes blazing, weapons gleaming.

Sakura took off after them. She could barely see Itachi's back when someone picked her up. She looked up, ready to hit them when she saw a clone of Itachi. The clone jogged behind the real one, switching her to his back.

By this time the older Uchiha caught and tied up the last Hakate. The silver haired man struggled, reaching for his kunai pouch. Itachi smirked and made handseals. They disappeared and reappeared in a field, far away from the center of Konoha.

Kakashi sweated and tried to reason with the passive Uchiha. He chuckled darkly and tied Kakashi to a tree. The clone put Sakura down and took Kakashi's weapons, handing them to her.

"I-Itachi, we can make a deal right? I'll take the book back and everything will be fine." He begged. Itachi crackled evily and motioned for Sakura to start. She held the kunai and threw it. It thunked next to Kakashi's left ear.

Sakura kept throwing weapon after weapon. Kakashi almost fainted when he felt the last kunai near his family jewels. Itachi chuckled at Kakashi's misfortune. The cherry blossom's aim was getting better at least.

(line)

Twenty almost castrations later, Itachi finally told Sakura to stop and cut Kakashi down from the tree. He fell to the ground in a pile of goo. He jumped up and kissed Itachi's feet, apologizing to him, then doing the same with Sakura. Mentally he wondered if she enjoyed his pain as much as the Uchiha.

Inner Sakura laughed madly at Inner Kakashi still tied to a tree. She pulled out big, sharp weapons and continued to 'train'. The weasel glared at the dog-summoner. The silver haired man ran for his life, dust forming behind him. Kakashi planed to tell Ikibi of a new interrogation tequniche. This would work only if the interrogator had terrible aim that is.

"Come on Sakura." Itachi said. "Time to go." The pinkette nodded as he came up behind her making handseals to transport them to her house. The smoke cleared and the door opened. A worried looking pink haired woman walked out.

"Sakura!" She called. Itachi gave the younger pinkette her bag as the older pinkette ran up to them.

"Hello Haruno-san." Itachi said as she pulled Sakura into a hug.

"I'm sorry for any trouble she caused you Uchiha-san." Yumi Haruno said as she righted herself. Itachi shook his head.

"No, she was good. I helped her with her aim." The older Haruno looked shocked.

"Well, say thank you Sakura." The cherry blossom sighed.

"Thank you Itachi. See you tomorrow!" She called. Itachi nodded and disappeared.

He sighed and lept into his room. As soon as he took off his sandals, his mother walked into his room. She gasped and ran up tp him, wrapping him in a hug. He let her hug him, even hugging back.

"Itachi, you had me worried." She whispered in his ear.

He sighed and pushed her back. "Sorry mother. I had to train with a... friend." He said. Mikoto reached over and pulled out a bright orange object.

"Training with a friend huh?" She asked. Itachi blinked and blushed slightly at the scolding. "Well, don't let your brother or father see it. Or any one else for that matter." She dropped it on his bed and walked out of his room.

Itachi sighed and picked it up. He flipped through a few pages and read a paragraph. Someone chuckled behind him. Itachi had them pinned to the wall in two seconds. He growled and let his cousin fall to the ground.

"I didn't know you were a closet pervert Itachi." Shisui said cheerfully. Itachi growled and picked the book up. Shisui stole it and began reading. He whistled and tossed the book back to his fuming cousin.

"It's not mine." Itachi said curtly. "That's right! It was that cute little girl's, wasn't it?" Itachi 'hn'ed. "You know... if you liked her you would be considered a peophile." Itachi stopped what he was doing and turned to his cousin. Said cousin smiled wide and snickered.

"I do not like her, Shisui." The odd Uchiha laughed and waved him off.

"Sure you don't 'Tachi! That's why you took the book from her and tied up Kakashi like that. And why you spend more time with her in one day then you do with your brother in one _week_." Shisui stressed the week.

Itachi glared at him then pointed to the window. Shisui sighed but moved to the ninja doorway. He opened it and had one leg dangling out of it.

"Well, it would have been one of the best relationships. You know, if you didn't have to kill everyone." Itachi stiffened and looked around. Shisui chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I'm not Shisui of the Mirage for nothing. I wish you didn't have to kill everyone 'Tachi." He smiled sadly and jumped out the window, running towards to Izuka compound.

Itachi sighed and closed the window. Knowing Shisui, he will see Hana tonight. Trying to get her to go out or something not for children. On that track, he picked up the book and started to read.

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_me-and thats all for this update! i will continue to update this story but, it will not be a lot._


	3. Chapter 3

_me-wow, really late but that's okay, gomen ne! sorry it's march but I had a two things I had to go to... procrastinator, lazy, whatever, I know... _

_disclaimer-no, I don't own _

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It was two weeks after the elders had talked to Itachi. Said Uchiha was making his way back from his fifteenth mission, only the street lights guiding him. The starts twinkled above, out shined by the dull glow of the moon. Wisps of clouds floated by, blocking out some of the rock in the sky.

He sighed, seeing a golden light from a stand still on. It spilled out of the small stand and out onto the ground packed road, faint smells of ramen coming from it. His dark eyes flickered to the position of the moon, figuring it late enough that his mother would not want to cook, if she was still up that was.

Itachi made his way carefully, and quietly over to the stand, white ANBU cloak fluttering with each step. He stopped right before the building, ducking into the ally way to take off his cloak, mask, armor, kanata, and gloves before throwing on his normal Uchiha shirt and changing his ANBU sandals into normal sandals. Comfortable that everything that could mark him as an ANBU away in a scroll, he walked out of the ally and took a seat at one of the stools.

The owner smiled and took his order before turning around to prepare it. Itachi studied the blond on his right, remembering what Kakashi had told him about this child. It also helped that Sakura knew the child slurping down noodles. Some how aware he was being watched, the blond haired boy turned and looked at Itachi.

"Hey, what's the big idea? Can't I eat my ramen in peace?" He chirped.

The Uchiha's eyes hardened and the little boy cringed, fear and worry filling his large blue eyes. The weasel saw this, he wasn't ANBU captain for nothing after all. His face softened a little and he looked calmly down at the blond.

"I'm sorry." He said.

The little boy grumbled. "Yeah, well, you better be. I'm the next Hokage! Uzumaki Naruto! Believe it!" Itachi watched, inwardly amused as Naruto continued to devuor his poor bowl of food.

The old owner turned and placed Itachi's bowl in front of him.

"Eat up, it's getting late out." Teuchi commented.

Itachi nodded his thanks, taking a pair of chopsticks and breaking them in half. Naruto had ordered two more bowls by the time Itachi was done with his. The blond boy patted his stomach and started to dig out a frog wallet like thing. Itachi watched as he counted his money, and then re-count it. The Uchiha genius could tell right away that the boy would not have enough money.

When Teuchi told them it was time to leave, Itachi pulled out a pouch of ryo, enough to pay for his meal and the jinjuriki's meal as well. Naruto just stared at him, eyes wide and mouth open.

"You're paying for me?" He asked quietly.

Itachi just nodded and told the owner to keep the change. "Come on, I'll walk you home, it's too dark out for you." Naruto was about to protest but then heard the drunk ramblings of a group pass by. Ugly words like 'demon fox' hit the boy's ears hard, his face falling.

He agreed, only because he went a little over board with training, he told Itachi. The Uchiha just nodded and motioned for Naruto to walk. They waved, Naruto more excited than Itachi, to Teuchi, and left. Naruto walked a step or two in front of Itachi, eyes looking from side to side in case it was a trap.

Itachi was impressed, the jinjuriki obviously did not trust him like he would with Sakura. The genius decided it was time to make the kid relax.

"You know Haruno Sakura, correct?" He asked softly. The blond stopped and whipped around, wide eyes connecting with his.

"Maybe, why? What are you planing to do with her!" Naruto fumed. No one would hurt his friend.

Itachi rose an eyebrow, carefully picking his next words. "Nothing, she just speaks highly of you when we are together." The blond calmed down, happy that his friend told this person good things about him.

"Yeah, she's nice, only when I don't get her mad." A light bulb went off over his head. "Hey, hey, who are you?"

The Uchiha chuckled inwardly, face emotionless. "I am Uchiha Itachi." He put out his right hand. "Nice to meet you, Uzumaki Naruto."

"When did you find out my name?" He asked, unsure whether or not he should shake the taller boy's hand now.

Itachi's eyebrow arched even more. "I believe you said, 'I'm the next Hokage. Uzumaki Naruto.'" Naruto smiled and shook his hand, other hand rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, yeah! Now I remember." The small kid looked around and headed in a direction, pulling Itachi with him.

The dark haired boy frowned down at their connected hands but said nothing. This Uzumaki was like Sasuke.

They stopped at a run down looking building. Naruto smiled and fished out his keys, ran up a flight of stairs and unlocked a door. He had let go of Itachi's hand when they made it to the apartment building, leaving him to stand at the bottom of the steps.

Itachi watched as his body disappeared and a second later his head lean out. "Do you want to come in?"

He watched the moon, calculating the time, and swiftly walked up the steps, not bothering with a jutsu, to would probably wake neighboring ninja, if there was any.

The blond closed the door, a sheepish smile on his face. "Sorry it's messy, I don't clean a lot." Itachi looked behind him for he was sitting, taking off his shoes. The orange jumpsuit clad boy jumped up, and picked his way through a pile of clothes on the floor to his bed, one of the only things not cluttered.

Itachi sighed and made a handseal, clones appearing to clean up the very messy apartment. The weasel made his way over to the bed, sitting on the edge.

"The old man Hokage gave this place to me because I was getting too big to be in the orphanage." Naruto explained his story, Itachi giving little nods here and there.

By the time the moon was starting to go down, Naruto's apartment was cleaned, and the blond himself was snoring softly on his bed. Itachi wondered how he was dragged into this before pulling on his shoes and making his way down the steps.

He passed the sad building that was housing the jinjuriki of Konoha and towards the gloomy section of land he had to call home, the Uchiha compound. He looked up as he went by the Hokage Tower, all of the lights off, and a heavy chakra layer over it. He knew enough that he should not bother the tower now, not with the chakra field and in his current state. The Haruno section came into view, smells of bitter medicine and soft smells of cherry blossoms lulled him over to the gates.

There was a giant cherry blossom tree, standing proud and full of color. It was rumored that no matter the season, it would always have as many blossoms as if it was spring out. It confused him to think that could happen, but he would never admit it to anyone. It was also rumored the tree has a trace of every Haruno's chakra. A Haruno doctor would take a small sample of chakra at the birth of every Haruno baby and then they would put it in a blossm. He never really paid attention to the tree but right now, with its sweeping branches, and dense cover, it would be a perfect place to take a nap.

He adjusted his scrolls, jumped up into the branches, and put his back to the trunk. Itachi glanced around himself, but all he could see was the light pink and white petals, and the varying browns of the branches. It was the perfect place to take a nap, he concluded as he put up a chakra circle around himself, and drifted to sleep easily in a very long time.

(line)

A small pinkette walked out of her house, backpack slung over her skinny shoulders. Her red dress blew back with a warm breeze, ruffling her hair. She ran down the road, waving to other kids and elders that smiled fondly at her. The normally emotionless guards melted and waved at the small but important pinkette.

She turned around and waved back. She giggled, stopping at the gigantic tree that sheltered her many time, and walked through the wall of pink and white. She glanced up, aware of the small pulse of hidden chakra high up in the branches.

She dropped her pack on the ground before lifting herself up on the lowest branch. She ran around the tree, jumping on the spiral like limbs that wound around the tree. She ducked, avoiding a thick branch that would have knocked her down.

A shower of petals made her stop. The pinkette watched her namesake drop to the ground in spirals, lazily spinning to join others down there. Sakura finally saw who was sleeping in her tree, her friend.

She watched him breath softly, chest rising and falling. The pinkette smiled and used just a small bit of chakra to lift herself onto his branch. He stired, eyes snapping open and hand reaching for his kunai holster. He relaxed when he saw who it was that disturbed his sleep.

"Itachi!" She spoke after they watched each other. Itachi nodded, smirking as she got up and ran over to him. He held out a hand, moving so his back was no longer against the trunk. She sat next to him and hugged him.

"Good morning Sakura." He said softly, hugging her shoulders.

She pulled back and looked at him seriously. "Why are you in my tree?"

The Uchiha smirked. "I do not see your name on this tree." He said calmly. The pinkette frowned, crossing her arms. "Fine, I'll tell you." He sighed, releasing the chakra he used to keep himself on the branch. "Your friend, Naruto, talked very long so I came here instead of disturbing my family."

Sakura nodded her head and tugged on his hand. "Can you take me to school, my mommy doesn't like me to go alone."

The weasel nodded, picked her up and jumped out of the tree. He picked up her bag and gave it to her.

"Hurry up Itachi!" She called as she disappeared behind the wall of blossoms. He looked up a where he was only a few seconds earlier and checked to make sure he had everything.

A scream reached his ears and he ran out of the cover of the tree. Sakura was on her knees, a circle of children around her. The guards snarled but did not move, knowing better then to get into this fight. Most of the children were Sakura's age, with different shades of pink and white hair. A few were maybe a year or two older, with brown hair. All of their eyes were a shade of some type of green. Two of them had the same color eyes but one had white hair and the other had pink.

He coldly walked over to them, snarling at them. The oldest of them looked up and smiled.

He moved over to be in front of Itachi. "Hi mister, are you here to help us?"

The Uchiha blinked, his eyes hurt. He could feel his Sharingan tomoes spinning, all three of them.

The boy gasped, then smiled even more. "Good idea mister! Use the Sharingan on her!" Itachi swept past him, knocking the boy painfully on his back.

The guards stiffened, remembering why the boy seemed so familiar. He was Uchiha Itachi, the famed boy genius from the Uchiha clan. They moved to protect the pinkette but stopped when they saw him kneel and Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Sakura, are you okay?" He asked softly, almost too soft for the two trained guards to hear.

Sakura nodded her head, wincing when Itachi pressed too hard on her arm. A black and blue bruise was starting to bloom, nearly entirely around it, like when grabbed too hard from someone who has a big hand. He could see the imprints of finger nails on her skin, near the bruise.

He growled, and stood, turning to face the huddled group of Haruno children. "Who?" He asked that one word and they all flinched. The boy he pushed earlier was starting to stand now.

"Me." He said proudly. "She can't be the next heir to this great clan. Mother said the bitch should have never been born. She should have died in her mother's stomach. That bitch is too weak to do anything."

The group smirked and glared at the small pinkette that was still on the ground. Murmurs of agreement rang out among them. The guards had enough, they started to move, both of them blinking. They stopped in their tracks, stunned. All of the ungrateful Haruno children were on the ground moaning, the only Uchiha was shifted slightly to the right.

Sakura had watched in awe as her friend took out all of the mean kids, not even breaking a sweat. Itachi glanced back, his tomoes spinning wildly. She felt dizzy, and closed her eyes. She felt herself being lifted up and carried. She could feel the vibration of Itachi's chest when he told the guards to get the brats' parents. Sakura kept her eyes closed, liking the way the wind blew her hair back as Itachi ran.

Itachi looked down, watching closely at Sakura's expression. She scrunched her face, turning it towards him. He ran a little longer before stopping at the hospital, quickly getting her into a room and with a doctor. The medic-nin smiled and healed her injuries, noting that she somehow was starting to heal them by herself. The pinkette had her eyes open, watching as the lady put a green glowing hand over her cheek, and arm healing the scratch and bruise on them.

The doctor stopped, completely finished healing her after five minutes. Itachi thanked her, walking Sakura out of the building.

"Do you want to go to school?" He asked.

The pinkette looked up, eyes watery, and clung to his leg. "N-no." She said quietly.

Itachi nodded and picked her up, putting her on his back. Sakura locked her arms and legs around his neck and waist so as not to fall. They wandered around aimlessly, just taking in the sights they normally wouldn't see.

The two ended up at the tree where Itachi found Sakura reading the "Icha Icha" book. The pinkette started to bounce, wanting down. He kneeled, letting go of her and watched as she climbed up the tree easily.

He briefly remembered about the mission he had yesterday, and still not giving his report to the Hokage, and checking in with his family. He sighed, quickly making a two bushin to deal with them, he had a right to a small rest when he wanted to. He jumped up, hanging onto the pinkette's branch and pulling himself up, and sat next to the girl.

She smiled and pulled out a scarf covered bento box, undoing the knot. She took off the lid, the last of the steam wafted up, disappearing into the sky.

She held out the box the Itachi. "Here, I bet you didn't have anything." The weasel looked on as she put it in his lap, careful so it did not fall to the ground. "I had a big breakfast so I'm not hungry."

He took the offered chopsticks, breaking them and picked up a piece of steamed carrot. Sakura watched as he held it out to her, eyes demanding she eat it. She opened her mouth, taking the carrot. Itachi pulled the chopsticks away and smirked, eating a little rice before offering her a piece of beef.

They continued like that until the bento was empty. Itachi placed the chopsticks in the box, closed it, and tied the scarf around it again. He glanced at the red background with white cherry petals and circles seemingly dropped on it. The pinkette took the box and placed it in her bag, mindful of falling.

They sat in silence, happy just being near each other. Sakura fidgeted, a question on her mind. Itachi sensed her discomfort, glancing sideways at her.

She sighed, and lifted her head to look at the side of his face. "Itachi," He turned his head to look at her fully. Sakura bit her bottom lip. "Why?"

In that one word, he knew what she was talking about. The distress on her face marked her as a knowing girl, she looked too old than the few years she was now.

"How?" He asked back.

She blushed, looking away. "I wanted to know why Naruto was hated so much in the village so I went to the Haruno library." His mind provided him with information on the grand Haurno library. It had a copy of all of the books in the world, whether it be from the beginning of Konoha, or from a different village, it was there. "I found a hand-made book on the kyūbi's jinjuriki. The newest pages had Naruto on them. I don't understand, Itachi. He saved us."

Itachi sighed and looked at the crying pinkette. He put her in his lap, hugging her. "People need something to pin their losses on, and the kyūbi killed many villagers and shinobi alike. With the kyūbi inside of Naruto, the think he became the fox demon himself."

She sobbed and tucked her face into his chest. He just waited until she calmed down, rubbing her back.

Sakura pushed herself away, watery eyes locking with his. "A-and I found a b-book on the U-Uchiha and the elders." Itachi heard something, quickly running through a set of seals, a barrier came up and around them.

"Shh." He pulled out a kunai, placing Sakura as close as he could get to the trunk. A nin jumped out, Konoha's symbol gleaming on his hita-ate.

"Iruka-sensei." She whispered quietly. Itachi nodded and put the kunai away. He remembered hearing about Iruka taking on a student-teacher job at the pre-academy.

The brown haired teacher left, not finding what he needed. Sakura moved and sat on Itachi's lap.

"What did the book say Sakura?" Itachi asked, knowing what she would say.

She looked down and played with her fingers. "It said..." She looked up. "You have to kill your family, and leave to go to the Akatzuki."

He chuckled slightly. "Yes that is true, but it's called the Akatsuki." His face hardened. "You cannot tell any one about this Sakura, do you understand? The Hokage never wanted this to happen, but the Uchiha clan is too power hungry and will not give up."

Sakura nodded, eyes sad and watery with the confirmation of the terrible news. Itachi sighed and stroked her silky pink hair, trying to calm her down. She sobbed again and buried her head in his clothes, fisting her hands.

Itachi felt something prickle at the edge of his chakra net, something like his clan, but unfamiliar to him. He made a clone to see who it was. A mere second later, the bushin's memories came back, and he stiffened. _It was him._

"Sakura," She looked up. "Do not say anything." He went through handseals and she disappeared. He could feel her next to him, her hand clutching a small piece of fabric.

He waited, shoulders tense. A bush moved and he stepped out. The mask hid his face but he could tell he was looking straight at him.

"Uchiha Itachi, the prodigy of the Uchiha clan. Do you remember me?" Sakura flinched at his deep voice. Tones of carnage rushed through it with hints of seduction if one listened close enough, all together, an uneasy mix.

"Uchiha Madara." Itachi said bitterly. Sakura looked up to him, eyes wide.

Itachi could feel the smirk coming off of his ancestor. "Ah, what a cute Haruno you have." The invisibility justu he had used shimmered and slid off of her. "Oh? She is the heir to the clan is she not? Sakura was her name, right?"

The pinkette started to breath faster, unable to calm down. Itachi felt her breathing hard and turned her into his side. She hugged him as best as she could, she small arms not reaching all the way around.

In the blink of an eye, Madara was standing over the pinkette, studying her. "What beautiful chakra." He murmured, touching her shoulder. Itachi snarled and jumped away from Madara, Sakura in hands.

The weasel made a clone, handing Sakura to it. "Take Sakura away from here."

The clone was about to leave but Madara chuckled. "Oh, do you remember what happened to your other clone and how fast I kill it?"

Itachi paled, shaking his head to his clone. It gave Sakura back to Itachi and disappeared.

"Good boy, Itachi." Madara snickered.

Itachi's eyes bled into the famous sharingan. "I will kill you Madara!" Sakura was shocked at his out burst, and hugged him harder.

"Oh dear boy, what would happen to this beautiful Haruno heir if you died trying to kill me?" He hummed. "I think I would keep her. Then I would destroy the clan and rebuild it with her." He laughed darkly, stepping forward. He crouched to Sakura's level. "What do you think little girl? You would be treated as a princess." He held out a hand to her.

Sakura's eyes hardened, turning a darker green. "I don't want to be your princess! I want to be Itachi's princess!" She stood firmly, glaring kunai at his outstretched hand.

Behind his mask Madara was smirking. "Oh?" He stood. "Then I will just have to destroy your kingdom won't I?"

Itachi moved Sakura behind him, shielding her. "What do you want Madara?" Itachi snarled as the oldest Uchiha took on a relaxed stance.

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_me-that's good! cut, and onto the next story! *saving this story* great, I'll be in germany in april for spring break, so don't expect this to be updated in the middle of april, it'll be near the end. great, til next time!_


	4. Chapter 4

_me-hey, I think I got this up early! _

_disclaimer-I do not own Naruto or any trademarks/characters_

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The old Uchiha chuckled darkly. Sakura shivered and buried her head into Itachi's shoulder more. "Dear boy, what do I want?" He hummed, his red eye in the mask's hole glinting dangerously. "I heard you are to kill the Uchiha clan."

Itachi glared, still holding onto Sakura. "What if I was to kill them?"

Madara laughed again, his voice joyful for a second before becoming serious. "A small boy, even of your status, would not be able to kill all of those people."

The younger figured out what he wanted. "You want to kill them."

His ancestor inclined his head, just a little. "Yes. That way we can kill two birds with one stone." He shifted his stance. "I get revenge on the clan, and you complete your mission."

The pinkette looked from Itachi's face to the masked face of a person she never wanted to see again. She could feel his eyes on her as she looked over. The tension in the air was nerve-racking for someone without training and experience, namely Sakura.

She shivered and tugged on Itachi's sleeve. "I want to go Itachi." She shivered again. "I don't like it here," The small girl pointed to Madara. "He's creepy and mean."

Itachi listened to Sakura as she talked, nodding. When she said the lest sentence he nearly had a heart attack. The younger Uchiha looked over to the older man, eyes wider than normal in fear of what he would do.

Madara only tilted his head back and laughed. He calmed down quickly and squatted to her level. "I'm creepy and mean?" He asked. Sakura nodded her head, glaring at him. Madara smirked behind his mask. "Very well. I'll be on my way, I would not want the precious little Haruno heiress to be scared of me." He stood up. "Good bye Itachi, boy. If you now what's good for both of you, you will meet me here in a weeks time with your answer." Madara paused, and looked down at Sakura. "Good bye my little sweetheart." She shivered at the too sugary voice that spelled out danger as Madara disappeared.

Itachi understood the hidden meaning in his threat. He had to go through with the mission, he had to kill his kin with Madara. The young raven never did like how the Uchiha clan was, but he hated killing and death even more.

He nearly fell off of the branch, almost taking Sakura with him. She carefully helped him sit, straddling the branch in front of him. He was sweating just a little, his heart beating against his rib cage. Sakura saw this and was worried.

"I-Itachi?" She questioned. He opened a closed eye and watched as she got closer to him. Sakura was sitting on his legs now. "Will I see you after you leave?"

Itachi's heart shattered. He wanted to stay here in Konoha to protect it. To stay near his little brother and help him be the best ninja he could be. He wanted to stay and watch and help Naruto and Sakura grow up and also become great ninjas. He knew those dreams would be harder to complete now, his fate was nearly sealed.

It hurt him to say what he had to say. "I do not think we will ever see each other again, Sakura." He watched as her face fell, her once sparkling emerald eyes dulled. "I wish I could stay, but I cannot now, not with Madara hovering over my shoulder." Itachi paused to breath in, a sharp breathe. "It will not be safe until I do."

The pinkette's eyes watered, green orbs became darker as crystal tears dropped from them. "I'll miss you Itachi." That was the truth.

She snuggled her head on his shoulder, arms wrapped around his torso. The weasel sighed and moved his arms around her, pulling her in towards him more. He still had some time, a week at most until it was too dangerous to be near her.

It was late before Itachi even thought about moving. He shook Sakura, who had fallen asleep earlier. She woke and yawned, removing herself from him and waiting. Itachi got up, stretched, picked up her bag and then told her to get on his back. She did as asked and he took off into the darkening forest to Konoha.

Sakura had her arms locked around his neck, head in the back of his neck, not fully awake yet. The wind whipped by, grabbing and snatching clothing and throwing it back. Itachi's hair floated behind them, tickling Sakura's small nose.

They finally stopped at the giant sakura tree in front of the Haruno gates. The same guards were standing out as before. They took one look at the tired looking pair and opened the gates, nearly falling over while bowing to Itachi. He shook his head, telling them to stand.

The guards did so and quickly told Itachi where to go. He thanked them and went on his way. The Haruno district was very large, larger so than even the Uchiha compound. Every building had at least one thing with the colors red, white, or a circle on it. He could see a bakery just up ahead. The lights were still on so he stopped and looked in.

The old couple running the shop saw Itachi and waved him in. He nodded and opened the door, a chime went off over head.

"Hello, where are you off to this late at night?" The old woman asked.

"With our heiress no less." He old man chuckled.

He glanced between the two and then to Sakura. "We were reading in the library." He said.

The old pair looked at each other and quietly laughed. "Don't you fool with us young boy. Just because we're getting older doesn't mean we don't know a lie when we see one." The woman crackled with glee.

The pinkette aroused at the smells. "Are we at the bakery?" She mumbled tiredly. Itachi answered her quickly. "Put me down." Sakura demanded.

He sighed but let her down. She wobbled a second but ran over to the pair as soon as she stopped.

"It's so nice to see my granddaughter again!" The man said as he hugged her.

The woman smiled and pulled out something from the case. "Here, on the house, my little Sakura." It was a large slice of cake with a dango skewer on the side.

Sakura clapped her hands and took the food, thanking her grandmother. She took it to a table with four chairs and patted the seat next to her, looking at Itachi.

He looked at the grandparents then at Sakura who nodded. Itachi blinked but took the seat. The other two sat across from them, the woman, Haruno Shunka, across from Sakura and the man, Haruno Tatsuo, in front of Itachi.

Sakura gave him the dango before digging into the cake with a fork from the table. He nibbled, his stomach too upset to deal with a lot of food. They ate in silence for awhile.

After Itachi had finished one ball, the woman perked up. "I remember hearing a rumour earlier today that an Uchiha taught some of the Haruno children a lesson." She paused and smiled. "That wouldn't have been you, right boy?"

Itachi lowered his eyes. "Yes, it was." He sounded worried for a moment.

Shunka hummed. "Why, son?" Tatsuo asked. Itachi looked up at his white pinkish hair. The woman also had the same tint to her hair, with all most sea foam green eyes. The man had two brown eyes, chocolate like. They both wore simple clothes of retired ninjas, the way they tied their pant legs was a give away.

The young weasel cleared his throat, a little antsy at how they would take it. "They were hurting Sakura, and when I came out of the tree, the one boy told me to come help." He paused. "I just wanted to get them away from her."

The old couple nodded to each other and talked in hushed tones. Itachi gave up with trying to hear what they were saying. He turned to watch Sakura eat. She had a smudge of frosting on her cheek. He chuckled lightly and reached up to wipe it off. She looked up from her cake and smiled warmly at him. Itachi smiled just a little back and waited for her to finish.

A while later the chimes went off over the door. Itachi twisted around, kunai in hand, to look at the two coming in. They looked a lot like Sakura. The young woman had the exact shade of Sakura's hair, and her nose, while the male had eyes almost like hers and the face structure as well.

"How is it that I always find my daughter here when she doesn't come home?" The woman asked.

The older pinkette laughed and stood up. "It's because, Reika, she prefers her grandmother's cooking." She watched as the middle pinkette blushed and looked at her husband.

"I'm not going to say anything." He mumbled to her. Reika sighed and hugged Sakura.

"Honey, where have you been? You had me worried." She said, brushing her bangs out of the way. Reika wore a red long sleeved top with a white circle on the back and tan jonin pants, with black high heeled sandals.

The youngest pinkette made a face and tried to reach her last piece of cake. "Mom, I was with Itachi." She struggled. "I want my cake!" Sakura wailed. She struggled out of her arms to get the sweet.

Her father chuckled at Sakura as she stuffed the last piece in her mouth and then returned the hug. Her mother just smiled and patted her head.

"We better get going, you have a long day of training tomorrow." Tatsuo said lightly. He wore a tan long sleeved shirt with a mesh top under it. His pants were red, with wider legs. The clan symbol was on the right pantt leg, near the bottom.

Sakura turned to him. "Do I have to? Itachi can train me." He looked at the only Uchiha there. Itachi stood still as her father studied him.

"Maybe he could come over if he had time." He invited.

The raven nodded his head, getting up. He bowed to the heads of the Haruno clan. "Thank you, for everything but I must be leaving." With that said he made a handseal, delaying the jutsu for a second. "Good night Sakura."

The pinkette smiled wide and ran over to give him a quick hug before letting go. The Uchiha disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

He opened his eyes to look around the Uchiha gates. It was late enough for the lights to be on, but not dark enough he had to rely just on them. He walked with clipped steps to the main house and was inside in a matter of minutes.

He saw a lone light on in the living room. The sound of shuffling paper met his ears as he stepped down the hall way, sandals off. His mother was kneeling at the low table in the middle of the room, the lamp on above her head.

She looked up and smiled, motioning for him to sit next to her. "Itachi, what took you so long?"

Itachi blinked down at what she was doing. It was a list of arrangements for a wedding. He saw a picture of Sakura neatly tucked into a folder. She was smiling, face lit up and eyes sparkling. "I was with a friend."

Mikoto hummed. "Really? Was it the Haruno girl?" He nodded. "Great!" She told him of her dreams of her to be in their family, herself always wanting a daughter to go shopping with.

"Mother, that is not practical, she is Sasuke's age."

The Uchiha matriarch sighed. "You're right," She smiled wickedly. "I guess Sasuke wouldn't mind marring her then."

His blood ran cold. That was not what he was talking about. That little brat would _not_ marry _his_ Sakura, _his_ relief, _his_ sun. That would be unacceptable in Itachi's book.

"No." He said coldly. "Sasuke will not marry Sakura, that is final." His dark eyes burned with hatred, the only time he had ever felt hatred towards his little brother.

Mikoto was smiling inwardly. This would all go according to plan then. Her Itachi would love Sakura, and she would have grandchildren and a daughter-in-law one day. She was about to say something but her husband was coming closer.

Quickly, with the stealth and speed of a kunoichi, she arranged the papers and put them in a scroll she had in a sleeve. It disappeared as soon as the head of the clan stepped into the room.

Mikoto looked up and smiled warmly to her husband. "Hello dear. I thought you were going to sleep?"

His eyes flickered from hers to Itachi's. "I was," He paused. "But I felt Itachi come in." He stood ridged. "Come, we will discuss you're latest mission."

The young weasel nodded and deftly got up from the sitting position. He sent a fleeting glance to his mother, bowed, and walked behind his father. The head Uchiha said nothing as they walked to his private study.

Itachi stepped lightly, knowing whenever he came here, he would usually be punished, or have a headache. His father moved him faster, closing and putting a jutsu up quickly.

Fugaku sighed and sat down behind his desk. A few papers laid here or there, it was slightly messy for his tastes. He set about fixing them, letting his son wonder just why he was here again.

He cleared his throat, looking into Itachi's eyes. "You've met someone today."

Itachi blinked. His father already knew about Madara? "Yes." Was what he said a second later.

His father nodded. "I see. And what did he say?"

A bead of sweat rolled down his back. Suddenly, a thought came to him. "He said I would help in one of his plans." He never would figure out just how much trouble he got himself into.

Fugaku smirked the Uchiha way. Yes, this would be perfect. "Very well, good job getting Madara's attention, Itachi." He lowered his eyes to his paper work. "You may leave now."

The young raven stood from his seat and bowed before walking out of the room. He should speak to the Hokage now.

Itachi watched the ANBU officers move from one spot to the other. Now! He jumped and landed quietly on the empty spot. It was close to the open window so he looked in and saw the Hokage sitting at his desk.

"Hokage-sama," Were his words as he stepped in the room. "I'm home from my mission."

The old leader sighed and blew a ring of smoke from his pipe. He removed it from his mouth and put it down, staring at Itachi. "You have been home for a few days now." He noted. The weasel looked down. "Why are you now just talking to me?"

The Uchiha kept his eyes lowered. "Uchiha Madara came and threatened to kill all of the Uchiha and Haruno Sakura as well if I did not comply to his demand."

Sarutobi's eyes widened. This was a new development. "Madara?" He hummed and put the pipe back into his mouth and sucked in. "I see. I guess he would like to help you kill the Uchiha clan?" Itachi nodded. A cloud of smoke appeared when the Third blew out. "Fine. I will think it over." His lips twitched. "Why were you with Sakura now Itachi?"

The Uchiha looked up at his leader. The Hokage was smirking wide, eyes twinkling. "I... I'm comfortable in her area." He said quietly.

The Hokage snorted to himself. The young boy was falling in love was he? "Very well." He glazed out the window. "You better get to bed Itachi, you have a long week ahead of you." Itachi started to move to the window. "Come back tomorrow so we can discuss what we are going to do with Madara."

"Yes you wish Hokage-sama." The weasel bowed and disappeared.

The Third laughed to himself. "He will have an interesting future to say the least. The massacre coming up and the Haruno heiress on his heart." He laughed louder and went back to the papers stacked up on his desk. Where were those bushin when you needed them?

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_me-not a whole lot happened but it's okay. see you in two months! (the next update) Woy! I got it in before I went to Germany! (in two days on the 12th) I cant wait! I would ove to see some of my readers over there, but I have no idea where you are/where we'll be..._


	5. Chapter 5

_me- im sorrt I'm so late and everything! you know, summer vacation, three jobs, and summer homework does this to you. yes I said "summer" and "homework" in the same sentence, right next to each other. and grad parties are fun! just thought id throw that in there too! _

_disclaimer-obviously not if I work three jobs... -_-' _

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The weasel was glancing at the training ground for the Haruno family. Unlike the Uchiha's this one seemed to be cared for. There were no holes in the ground, no cracks or scorch marks marring the earth. He had heard that there was some member of the Harunos that knows a jutsu to level the ground and used it every night after late night training to fix it up.

It also seemed that the Harunos trained together, instead of some people that happened to want to train at the same time. The field, that was behind the houses, was large enough for four separate classes to be going at the same time. There was even enough room for people that wanted to train by themselves as well, and not run into anyone.

He was impressed by the teamwork and amount of training going on. If one class needed to use the targets, the class using them would agree, taking the now empty spot and work on something else with quick instructions to the students.

Itachi watched as the smallest Haruno children worked on controlling their weak stores of charka, doing exercises to increase their supplies. The ones that looked like they had just entered the Academy and maybe studied for a year were practicing how to properly hold and throw kunai and shurikun. Children that have been studding at the Academy for a while were perfecting basic jutsus, chakra control, and hitting targets. The last group, what he guessed were ones to be graduating and just graduated the Academy were working on teamwork, healing, and more advanced jutsus.

Over all, the Uchiha weasel was impressed at their system of work, wondering how this all came to be. Casually, he as leaning against one of the many trees in the training grounds, arms crossed, eyes following what ever interested him at that moment. None of the Haruno clan members seemed bent out of shape that two Uchihas were watching them practice. He could see quick glances thrown his way from the small curious children and older adults, but they mostly seemed to get on just fine.

"Itacihi!" He turned to the sound of his name, the voice pure and innocent.

The small pinkette that had become attached to him ran away from her mother and father who had stood on ether side of her. She jumped up, flying towards him. His eyes widened, his arms reaching out to catch the girl.

"Yey! Can I do that again?" She asked, bubbling voice clear. He shook his head and placed her down gently by Sasuke, who had insisted he came with his aniki.

"Aniki, who's she?" The small Uchiha asked, pointing to Sakura.

Itachi sighed. "She's Haruno Sakura. Don't you remember her?" He knew very well that they had classes together sometimes.

Sasuke shook his head no, staring up at his idol. "Why are we here again aniki?"

Itachi let out a small sigh. As much as he loved his little brother, he could be annoying sometimes. "I was asked to help with Sakura's training." The weasel patted Sasuke's head softly, murmuring to him to sit and color him a picture.

Happily, Sasuke smiled brightly, picking up a pad of paper and crayons, scribbling some thing.

"Ah, Itachi." Reika said. "You did come, what a nice change." She smiled and bowed slightly. "I hope you enjoy teaching my little blossom."

Tadashi pulled out a scroll from the inside of his shirt. "This is what Sakura can do and what the teachers comments are." Itachi took the offered scroll. "Unfortunantely, she has no training in elemental jutsus. Which we hoped you would teach her some beginner ones, if you don't mind."

Itachi looked from the one of the Haruno head to the other, shocked. He was going to teach Sakura by himself?

Reika laughed slightly, slapping her husbands arm. "Don't give him such a heart attack. I don't want the Uchihas coming in here and demanding to know why we killed their heir." She turned to the stunned weasel. "You only have to teach her one justu that she does not already know. I'm sure Tadashi made it sound like you have to teach her alone today."

He nodded slightly, becoming more relaxed. "I understand Haruno-sama. What is Sakura's chakra element?"

Tadashi rubbed the back of his head. "We haven't given her a element justu to learn yet because we don't know her elements." He frowned slightly. "We would think she has earth, but we never tried yet." Her father shrugged, reaching into the pockets of his black pants.

"Tadashi has some element papers for the teachers today. Usually we have a big ceremony for this but we can do it now." Reika said as her husband pulled out a container filled with papers.

He held the container out to Itachi. "You know how these work, correct?" Itachi nodded, giving a brief description of what he knew. "Good, take these and hand them out to the teachers, they'll know what to do." Tadashi said, content with what he ordered.

Itachi told Sasuke to stay where he was, seeing his brother getting up. The older Uchiha walked around handing out the papers to the teachers. They in turn thanked him and continued with their lessons for the day. As he walked away from the last teacher he counted the slips, only twenty left.

The weasel walked calmly over to where the Haruno heads were sitting, they had invited Sasuke to sit with them as well. He looked around for Sakura, who had disappeared as they told him what he would be doing today. He caught sight of her near a tree with an older member of the clan.

The old man explained something to Sakura, flinging his hands about wildly. The pinkette giggled before climbing easily up the tree and plucking off a hand full of small orange fruit. Itachi turned as she started her trip down.

"Good boy." Tadashi said as he came back, motioning to sit next to his brother. Sasuke was eating a piece of cake, happily munching on the sweet.

"Sakura is just warming up right now, so you can go all out when she gets back." Her mother said after drinking her tea.

Itachi nodded as a saucer and cup were placed in front of him. A servant motioned to the multiple tea pots, listing off the names and pushed a plate of dango next to him. Slightly surprised at being treated so well, he thanked the servant and looked up at the clan heads. The pair seemed relaxed, enjoying themselves. They talked quietly, most likely making corrections to students.

He sighed slightly, unknowingly gaining the attention of the pair.

Reika tilted her head slightly, moving her arms onto the table, crossing the purple clad arms. "What's wrong Itachi?" She questioned, dark green eyes sparkling.

Itachi shook his head. "Nothing, Haruno-sama." He quietly poured himself a cup of the tea he liked, a mild and sweet apple.

He nibbled on a dango ball, savoring the taste. Sasuke reached over and plucked one off of the stick, quickly stuffing it in his mouth. The younger Uchiha made a face and swallowed, shaking his head.

"I don't like those!" He said, glaring at the dango.

Itachi chuckled slightly. "Then why did you take one?" He asked.

Sasuke looked up at his brother, smiling. "Because I want to be just like you aniki! You're the greatest!" The little Uchiha hugged his brother, Itachi patting his head.

"But you're Sasuke, not Itachi. You should be your best, not my best." The weasel advised his younger sibling.

Sasuke nodded, still hugging Itachi. "Alright aniki! I'll do my best to be myself!" He let go and continued to eat the cake, the poor thing being demolished in seconds.

The weasel mentally sighed, why him? He flipped open Sakura's thin folder that was in the scroll. Inside, with a quick glance over, was four reports from her teachers, a copy of her birth record, a list of achievements, and a training schedule. Itachi skimmed over the praises her teachers wrote, and the training schedule. Mildly surprised he laid everything back in order, keeping the times out, figuring he would need it for reference.

"I believe she could be able to learn a new jutsu in a week." He said to the clan heads. They glanced at each other, slyly smiling. "Master it that is."

Reika perked up. "Really?" She hummed. "I like it, what times would be best for you?"

Itachi glanced at her schedule one last time. "Early mornings when I am in the village, and not in a mission." He slid the paper back into the folder, content with what he read.

The two nodded and turned to each other, discussing something.

"Very well, we trust you to come to the training ground here early." Tadashi paused, taking a sip of his cooling tea. "She'll be ready before you get in the doors."

Itachi nodded swiftly, thinking this as a mission. He would not fail this task given to him. To him self he mulled over the possibility of him not being in the village of Konoha in the future. In fact, he was certain he was leaving his homeland behind soon. He cursed his luck, hoping that he would be able to teach Sakura at least a few elemental jutsus before the time came. He counted the days since Madara appeared to him, it has been only one. To the weasel it seemed like an eternity.

He watched as the little pinkette molded her chakra to be able to climb the small branches and hang on. Faintly, he could feel Sasuke's anger, frustration, that his brother was not paying attention to him. Itachi glanced down at his little ottuo, patting his head.

"One day I'll teach you, when you have a good amount of chakra." Itachi murmured, effectively calming down Sasuke.

Sasuke turned around, hearing some giggling. A small group of girls were over at a small garden, picking a few vegetables. His darks eyes lit up when he saw a red gem like fruit.

"Aniki, aniki! Can I get a tomato?" He asked Itachi, pulling his shirt and pointing towards the full garden.

The weasel looked to the heads of the clan, and noticed they had nodded, waving at the younger Uchiha to go ahead. Sasuke jumped up, and ran over to the tomato patch, throwing a thank you towards the couple.

If you ever had to detain his little brother, Itachi would promise his life that a room full of tomatoes would stop him in his tracks in a second. The weasel looked around, watching the tiny Harunos practice hard, all of them watching the heiress easily climb up the tree and run around the top of the training grounds walls.

Their teachers had a hard time keeping their attention, all eyes peeking over at her. Itachi had the luxuery of being able to glance at her without having a teacher ride his back for not paying attention. He would watch for a few minutes, look at another person and then look at her again for a little.

He sighed, turning back to his tea after some time of studying her moves. It had cooled down quite a bit as he was distracted, letting him sip it easily without burning his tongue. Not that the Uchiha heir would complain of a burnt tongue, even if it would hamper his ability to taste any poison in his food and drinks.

Sakura's mother tapped the table, looking into the distance.

"Itachi, we heard some news from one of our sources." Tadashi muttered, low enough for only the three of them to hear. "About your clan."

The weasel froze, tea cup halfway to his mouth. Itachi wanted to put it down but his brain seemed disconnected from his body. A chill raced up from his toes, leaving a cold in its wake.

Reika nodded swiftly. "Yes, we were wondering." She paused and focused her keen green eyes onto his, seeing through him. "It is true, correct?"

Tadashi glanced over to her, sighing. "Very well."

Itachi nodded shakily. "It is true. I'm sorry Haruno-samas."

They waved his apology way, only somewhat concerned.

Tadashi snapped his fingers, a servant appearing at his elbow, bowing. "I'll have a talk with your father, the head of the clan, then." He turned, addressing the other boy. "Ryui, please inform the Uchiha clan head I will be coming over in a few days time. And tell him thank you for understanding."

Itachi watched as the boy nodded and disappeared, using a hand seal. The young Uchiha wondered silently what Haruno Tadashi and Reika could do to stop the over throw, and for him to stay in Konoha.

"Oh look, Sakura's done!" Reika said smiling and waving over her daughter. "Do a good job now, okay Itachi?" She smile warmly over in his direction, motherly eyes full of promises he could dare not to think of lightly.

"I will try my best, Haruno-samas." Itachi mumbled as he got up, bowing his thanks to them and taking Sakura to a quiet place to practice.

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_me-donneeeeee! yeah, I'm sorry I seriously am. apperently "our" computer means "my" computer to my sister. annoying brat, someone should teach her a lesson to respect her elders. she is going to be in a whole lot of shock when she realises the world does not revolve around her. little retard, seriously. so if your wondering why I didn;t update is because I only get our computer a few times a month if Im lucky. The rest of the time its in her room while she plays games that let viruses in to screw up the laptop. so whatever. I'm going to see if mom will get the extre laptop fixed so it will go on the internet and just take that one._


	6. Chapter 6

_Me-yep, its been awhile I get it.. sorry :/_

_disclaimer-nope not yet, not ever_

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The odd pair made their way to a quiet corner, out of everyone elses way. Itachi turned and looked t Sakura, almost making her bump into him. She had followed behind him closely, very excited to start her training.

In the back of his mind he could tell they were watching, analyzing him. The young weasel sighed and pulled out a paper.

"Sakura, do you know what this is?" He asked. The even younger pinkette tilted her head and took it from Itachi.

Her face lit up. "It's chakra paper! Used to figure out someone's chakra element or elements." She smiled up at him, waiting.

He nodded, motioning with his hands. "Good. Now push some of your chakra into it."

Efficiently, Sakura did as told and the paper crumbled, turning soupy at the same time. Itachi squatted down, examining the remains. Very curious as to what the results were.

"Earth and water." He mu,bled more to himself then to anyone else. His eyes flicked up as he felt people staring. Every Haruno was watching, even some from the windows.

The trained nin cheered as they finally found out what their heiress's chakra elements were. As they were the only ones keen enough to hear Itachi's mumbled words. The children ran up, glanced at the pile of wet paper before running off to tell their friends.

The Uchiha could see Tadashi's and Reika's contempt smiles, nearly bragging.

Itachi sighed silently, and stooped down, collecting the pile and glancing around for someplace to put it. He disposed of it, giving him some time to think of what he should teach his little student.

He sighed again and rubbed the back of his head. His little pink haired apprentice looked at him with her large green eyes, smiling. The weasel smiled just a little. He always did like water jutsu better. After fire jutsu of course.

"We begin with simple jutsus ad work our way up. Understand?" He asked Sakura, mentally trying to think of a plan to follow after this.

"Hai, I understand." she said cheerfully. Her pink locks floated in the soft breeze that went through the once again active yard.

The black haired boy decided to teach Sakura the secret jutsu he had picked up while on a mission to Wave.

"This jutsu is good for covering yourself. If you need to retreat quickly or attack silently, this is best." He made a string of handseals and suddenly their corner was filled with a thick mist. "You can make it thinner or denser, depending on how much chakra you have, or what you need it for." He started to dart around, purposely making no noise. Not that he normally made any noise.

Sakura could keep her eyes trained on her moving master for a few seconds but lost him as soon as the mist thickened.

She turned, looking through the mist for him. Nothing was clear and she just gave up.

Itachi saw this and sighed to himself. She would never be a good nin if she gave up so quickly. He pulled out a kunai, holding it to her shoulder. Just in case she did move, it wouldn't hurt as much as it would at her throat.

The pinkette froze when she felt the cold metal kiss her skin. Drops of sweat pearled on her skin, and she looked up ashamed. Even though he was probably only a foot away, she couldn't see him.

"Hn." Was the only thing Itachi said as he let go of the jutsu. His eyes never betrayed his emotions, and the pinkette looked down at the ground as he pulled away. The weapon was put away, and the rest of the mist had disappeared by then.

The clan heads had watched with mild interest, making sure to keep notes on what happened. Any of the little children had crowded around Sakura's parents despite the protests of their teachers.

Reika noticed the distraught teachers and waved them off, saying that they could always train harder the next time. Tadashi agreed and called for the whole training ground to a stop. Bending to his wishes the older nin dismissed their classes and some decided to retire to their rooms while others stayed to watch.

Oblivious to the attention she was getting Sakura kept her eyes on Itachi as he was explaining the technique he had just done. He made it easy to understand even though she was one of the top kids in the clan concerning book smarts and vocabulary. Her physical abilities were lacking and they have always been a sore subject for her.

"You know, they do make a cute pair." Reika had said as an offhand comment to her husband.

Tadashi, who had been sipping on tea, swallowed hard, coughing. His eyes grew wide and he sputtered out a few words.

Reika looked at him calmly, slowly blinking as her husband tried to put words in to sentences.

"You're mad, woman!" His face grew red from anger. "How could you think that? She's only eight for Kami's sake!"

The Haruno matriarch sighed at her partner, picking up her own cup of tea. "I was only stating my observations, dear. I know she is much too young to be thinking of marriage, or even dating. Well, hopefully." She paused, eyes glancing to the sleeping Uchiha that had climbed into her lap. "She can decide on who ever she wants when the time comes, and I will support it fully. As long as she is happy."

The patriarch relaxed a little, nodding his head once and crossing his arms. It was true that she was too young to be thinking of marriage. He had someone in mind to introduce her to, but if nothing happened, or if she had found someone else by the deadline Tadashi would support the two in any way he could.

Unlike the other clans, the Haruno's were very relaxed in who they married. While there were certain restrictions, their children had a lot of freedom compared to the other clans in Konoha. And the mostly pink haired clan was proud of that. There was no tension between people and that was exactly what they like, seeing as they were all mostly peace-loving. All of them had a temper when they were really pushed over the edge though.

You could just ask all the boys outside of the clan that manage to make their Haruno girlfriends mad. They usually end up in the hospital and most of them have the common sense not to push them that far again.

Those that can calm down their girlfriend before she beats him to a pulp is worshiped as a god by his friends and family. It takes a lot to bring them back, and those that can usually stay with the Haruno girl for the rest of their life because of true love between the two.

Tadashi watched his little girl go about her training with Itachi. She seemed to get frustrated with a technique and the Uchiha stopped doing what he was doing and fixed her stance. The next time she tried it came out perfectly and she calmed down, smiling even.

He sighed and thought about the future. It wouldn't be too much longer and then it would be time to let her live her life. No matter what she decided to do, he promised himself that he would let his daughter do what ever she wanted before she had to take control of the clan. Hopefully he would have time to enjoy his life after she took over the clan though.

He did like doing little pranks on her every once in a while. It was fun to watch her try to figure out who did it. The clan head knew that a few of the other Haruno's were itching to do a big prank soon.

They figured that with all the other clans being so up-tight someone had to loosen up. Knowing that none of the others would they were the less strict of all the clans. Besides maybe the Inuzuka Clan. They got pretty bad every once in a while.

He laughed and decided that he would skip out on the rest of the training session.

"Let me know how it all goes dear. I have some paper work that needs handed in to the Hokage soon and I need to finish it." He leaned over to his wife and kissed her cheek, smiling as she blushed slightly.

"I knew you were getting behind on that paper work." She said in a some what mad voice but ruined it by chuckling. "I will give you all the details over dinner later when little Sakura goes to bed."

He hummed and nodded his goodbyes to the rest of the clan members present. They in turn got up and bowed to the clan head as he left the training grounds.

The little kids of the clan had then gathered around Reika, demanded to be told a story. She chuckled and waved off the worrying mothers, saying it would not be a problem. Adjusting the still sleeping Sasuke she made herself comfortable and told them a story about a brave Hokage from a long time ago.

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_me-I can't think of anything else for right now. Thank you to all that have been waiting for a new update and I'm so sorry everyone had to wait so long for one. It's been a very busy few months, between my school swim team I joined, to this person I tried helping, to my oh soo much fun classes, to homework and work. And writer's block. Got to love that stuff... next update will hopefully not be so long away. I have 24 hour bus ride coming up in Feb so I might be able to get something out for all of my stories. I don't know. We'll see._


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